Jesus in Galilee: Risk Analysis and Recovery of Jesus' Exorcisms, Activity, and Appearances in the Context of First-Century Galilee

What was Galilee actually like in the first century? Whether one was a peasant or a wealthy landowner, a member of the Herodian ruling class or Roman aristocracy, Galilee was known to be inhabited by dangerous, malevolent phantasms, demons and evil spirits. The evidence, drawn from an exhaustive review of contemporary sources and literature, is overwhelming—a world completely alien to our own. There was no middle class, only the powerful and the poor. Poverty, foreign occupation, demonic proliferation, corrupt overseers, and onerous quotas, all underscored the daily struggle for subsistence among the peasants of Galilee who lived tiny, poor working villages. Life lasted only twenty-six years; forty percent of children died by the age of twelve.
Contextual risk analysis allows entry into this first-century world of Jesus with remarkable clarity. How and why did Jesus engage with demons and condemn the elite and demonic imperialism? Why was he labeled an “evil-doer?” Why were traditions about the Galilean women suppressed? Why was Jesus ritually killed? The figures of Jesus, his opponents and those who followed into peril emerge in startling clarity, leaving us standing with Jesus in Galilee.

Roger Busse is a recognized expert in risk analysis and a graduate of Reed College and Harvard Divinity School. His awarded career spans over forty-five years, from CEO of a nationally recognized institution to head of risk administration. He is a consultant, professor, speaker, and author of five books, including three by Resource Publications: To Be Near the Fire, Jesus Resurrected, and The Enemies of Paul. Busse uncovers striking new details through contextual risk analysis of conflicts in the New Testament and non-canonical sources.